Estonian President: Nations to Substantiate the Nature of Cyber Defence

Cyberspace is as central to national security as land, air and sea, emphasized Estonian president Kersti Kaljulaid visiting the Tallinn-based NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence today.

„The Warsaw Summit could not have been clearer: cyberspace is a domain of military operations next to land, air and sea. The nations now need to substantiate what that means. The research, trainings and exercises of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence are indispensable for achieving this,” said Kaljulaid.

“Our defence within NATO is only as strong as our commitment to it. Estonian leadership in cyber security is noticed across the world,” Kaljulaid emphasized.

“An Estonian initiative to establish a NATO-accredited centre of excellence has become an international military organization, a community of 20 like-minded nations,” explained Sven Sakkov, director of NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. “The Centre is a unique resource, as it brings together all stakeholders in cyber security, ranging from technology experts to lawyers, academics to policy makers.”

The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence provides a 360-degree look at cyber defence, with expertise in the areas of technology, strategy, operations and law. The Tallinn-based international military organisation focuses on interdisciplinary applied research, as well as consultations, training and exercises in the field of cyber security. Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States are signed on as Sponsoring Nations of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. Austria and Finland have become Contributing Participants, a status available for non-NATO nations. The joining process of Sweden as a Contributing Participants is being finalized.